Regional patterns of insecticide resistance in Bemisia tabaci in Türkiye

Abstract: The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is
one of the most important pests in vegetable production due to its feeding damage, virus
transmission, and rapid resistance development. This study evaluated the susceptibility of
different greenhouse populations of B. tabaci collected from the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Türkiye against acetamiprid, afidopyropen, and cyantraniliprole. The populations were collected from major greenhouse vegetable production areas including Adanalıoğlu, Balcalı, Erdemli, Karataş, Kulak, Silifke, Tekebaşı, Yeşilada, Yeşilköy, and Yumurtalık. A susceptible laboratory strain (SUD-S) was used as the reference population. Bioassays were conducted using the leaf-dip method, and mortality data were analyzed by probit analysis to estimate LC₅₀, LC₉₀, slope, and resistance factor (RF₅₀) values. Considerable differences in susceptibility were detected among populations and insecticides. Acetamiprid showed the highest resistance levels, with RF₅₀ values ranging from 33.96- to 945.61-fold, and the greatest resistance detected in the Balcalı population. Cyantraniliprole resistance ranged between 6.66- and 96.81-fold, with the highest resistance observed in Karataş and Adanalıoğlu populations. In contrast, afidopyropen generally exhibited lower resistance levels, with RF₅₀ values varying from 0.85- to 12.98-fold in most populations; however, the Silifke population showed a notably higher resistance level (91.20-fold). These findings demonstrate substantial regional variation in insecticide susceptibility among B. tabaci populations and highlight the importance of resistance monitoring and insecticide rotation strategies for sustainable management programs in Türkiye.